Category Archives: Kid Life

Georges has a lot going on. His Dad lost his job and his Mom has started working extra shifts at the hospital. His family had to sell their house and move into an apartment. New apartment. New School. New friends. (If he can find any.)

When Georges and his Dad see a note in the basement laundry room that says, “Spy Club Meeting — TODAY,” they laugh. How dumb. What good does it do you if don’t know the TIME of the meeting?

So Georges’ Dad writes underneath “What time?” Later, when Georges returns to the basement to get rid of some boxes he sees that someone has written “1:30?,” so Georges adds “OK.”

This mysterious conversation with unknown persons is the beginning of an unusual friendship between Georges and two kids who live in his building: Safer and his sister Candy. Safer is the eyes and ears of the apartment building. He knows stuff. Like how weird Mr. X is and how the Spy Club needs to find out exactly what he’s up to.

Why does Safer suspect Mr. X and how does he know so much about what goes on in the building? Georges is about to find out. As Safer reveals more and more about his techniques Georges has a diffiult time figuring out when what they are doing is real, or a game. Poking around in people’s business can be tricky, and awkward….and dangerous! And sometimes the REAL mystery isn’t what you were investigating at all. Author: Rebecca Stead

Also by Rebecca Stead, the Newbery Award winning When You Reach Me. Also try some of these other books about kids digging around, solving mysteries right in their own life. You don’t have to go far to find a mystery to solve:

Afraid that she is crazy, thirteen-year-old Mia, who sees a special color with every letter, number, and sound, keeps this a secret until she becomes overwhelmed by school, changing relationships, and the loss of something important to her. Author: Wendy Moss

“Mia has a secret. Because of her secret, she feels different and alone, as do many people at age 13, or 17, or 38. Mia’s brain works a bit differently in that she sees colors when she hear sounds or reads words or does math. Mia talked about it for about a minute when she was in 3rd grade. She thought that everyone was like her. That did not turn out well. Kids laughed. There was whispering behind her back. She found herself alone.

Fast forward to eighth grade. Mia finds a name for “it” online and she finds actual people online that have similar experiences. Suddenly, she is not the only one.

Now, Mia lives in two worlds: an online world where she can talk about everything and the “real” world which still is not easy on people who seem a little different. How much can Mia reveal without negative consequences? Are her abilities a blessing, a curse, or something in between? Who can you tell who are and not leave anything out?”

If you have ever felt like Mia…different…and you liked reading her story you might also like these books about other kids who also have to figure out how much of their “differentness” to share with others.

12-year-old Delilah James is one of the top reporters at Brighton Junior Academy and dreams of becoming a Junior Global Journalist. But when an international rival named Ava invades her newsroom and takes over her crush, Delilah finds an unlikely alley in the Debutantes, a.k.a. the Little Debbies. Delilah had written a less-than-flattering idea about the Little Debbies. The group offers Delilah a deal that if Delilah will investigate the rival cliques at schools, they will help her to win the journalist award. Can Delilah manage to take back her top spot as lead reporter and win back the boy? Or is she destined to be yesterday’s news?

Sixth grader Mo…A+ student, fry cook, best friend to Dale, arch enemy of Anna Celeste, kid to the Colonel and Miss Lana…turns detective when her town’s least likable citizen turns up dead. Who would want to kill Jesse Tatum? It’s true that nobody liked him much, but kill him? It can’t be anyone in Tupelo Landing can it?

A hot shot city detective shows up and ratchets up the anxiety by asking a lot of uncomfortable questions. Questions that start to point to the Colonel, and even Dale, who’s just a kid!

Starr studied us for one cold, flat minute. “Don’t leave town,” he told the Colonel. Then he nodded to me and headed for the door. We watched him climb into his Impala. “He’s going to be trouble,” the Colonel said, unplugging the jukebox. “Yes, sir,” I said, thinking of Dale. “If you ask me, he already is.” (page 84-85)

That slick Detective Joe Starr might have a cell phone and a computer but Mo has something he hasn’t got…the Cousin Information Network..and as long as she’s got good enough stuff to make a trade, she can find out everything she needs to know about Jesse Tatum, his girlfriend & his dead cousin. It’s all about who you know and Mo knows everyone…she just doesn’t know everything…can she figure it all out before the murderer strikes again? Author: Sheila Turnage

“When’s the last time you got fed?” Beulah responded by clamping down on Mickey’s left foot and throwing a meaty coil around both his legs. “Easy, Princess,” he said. The Python wrapped upward with another coil, and then another. Mickey quickly locked both arms in front of his chest to protect his lungs from being crushed, but he was out of shape and Beulah was extremely powerful. “Wahoo!” he hollered. “Yo!” “What?” Called a voice from the house. “Get your butt out here!” (page 24)

Wahoo’s Dad Mickey is an animal wrangler. If there is an alligator, snake, lizard, bear or leopard in a movie, chances are Wahoo’s Dad was there during filming. The animals live on their property and Wahoo helps take care of them…when he remembers!

Times are kind of lean in the animal wrangling business and Wahoo’s family is having trouble making ends meet. When the reality television show “Expedition Survival” calls wanting to use some of the animals on an upcoming episode, Wahoo and his Dad can’t wait to get started…until they meet the show’s star – Derek Badger, “Mr. Show Business”. It’s going to take all of Mickey and Wahoo’s knowledge and patience to keep Derek alive, because they know what the animals are thinking, “All you stupid humans taste the same!” Author: Carl Hiassen